Cigarette holder



Sept. 6, 1960 H. E. WALTERS CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed Oct. 26, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

TORNE Y HARRY E WALTERS N 6 N 3 mm um an E ow h V fi N United States Patent CIGARETTE HOLDER Harry E. Walters, 2312 Boone St., Baltimore, Md.

Filed Oct. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 848,702

2 Claims. (Cl. 131-198) This invention relates generally to cigarette smoking devices, and, more particularly, it pertains to an adjustable cigarette holder provided with an arrangement for regulating the amount of smoke passing therethrough.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a low cost, relatively simple and highly efiective arrangement for progressively decreasing the quantity of smoke delivered to the smoker who desires to break his habit of smoking.

A further object of this invention is to provide an arrangement for a cigarette holder which will dilute, with air, the smoke delivered to the smoker thereby producing a cooler, milder and less harmful smoke.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel cigarette holder which can be very easily disassembled for purposes of cleaning.

Still other objects of this invention are to provide a novel cigarette holder which is economical to manufacture, which is easy to assemble and disassemble for cleaning purposes, and which is eificient and effective in regulating the amount of smoke received by a smoker.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan View of a cigarette holder incorporating the features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of an air intake adjusting means for the cigarette holder;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a cigarette holder incorporating features of the present invention. The cigarette holder 10 consists of a bit or mouthpiece 12 which is press-fitted at its forward end into a finned collar 14. The collar 14 receives at its forward end a castellated bushing 16 which is arranged to adjustably engage a knurled adjusting sleeve 18. A cigarette receiving tube 20 is slidably contained within the forward end of sleeve 18. This tube 20 is slidably mounted in sleeve 18 so as to facilitate the removal of a cigarette butt from the cigarette holder 10.

A tube 22 is passed centrally through the elements 14, 16, 18 and 20. Tube 22, at its end most distant from the mouth piece 12, is provided with a flange 24, and it has, approximately midway between its ends, a narrow slot 26, whose purpose will be described subsequently.

The sleeve 14, castellated bushing 16 and tube 22 are maintained in a fixed relationship by means of a setscrew 42.

The knurled adjusting sleeve 18 is provided with a central bore 32 which carries, fixed within itself by means of a press-fit, a metering sleeve 34. The end of the metering sleeve 34 nearest the mouthpiece 12 is cut away in a spiral 36, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, which generally overlies the slot 26.

The metering sleeve 34 may be rotated freely, when desired, around tube 22. As best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, rotation of the metering sleeve 34 will cause the spiral 36 to expose varying amounts of the slot 26 to fresh air which enters the bore 32 through. slots 40 provided in bushing 16.

Inorder to provide a graduated arrangement for opening the slot 26, and in order to prevent an inadvertent change in its setting, the knurled sleeve 18 is provided with a pair of integrally formed keys 38 at one end thereof. These keys 38 may be selectively engaged in any diagonally opposite pair of slots 40 which are milled into the forward face of the bushing 16. The sleeve 18 is maintained at any selected setting by means of a spring 30 which is inserted between a flange 28 on tube 20 and the forward end of metering sleeve 34.

In order to change the exposed amount of slot 26, it is merely necessary to slide sleeve 18 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, against the bias of spring 30. Having thus disengaged the keys 38 from their slots 40, the sleeve 18 may now be rotated to the next desired setting.

It is apparent that a smoker who wishes to reduce the ill effects of smoking may do so quite gradually without any drastic or immediate change in his or her smoking habits. For instance, the smoker can, until he becomes acclimated to the cigarette holder 1%, keep the slot 26 fully closed thereby getting the full effect of the tobacco smoke. Then, at regular intervals, say daily or weekly, the smoker may elect to advance sleeve 18 one notch. Each such advance of the sleeve 18 will permit a greater quantity of air to enter the tube 22 through the slots 40 and 26, thereby cutting down on the smoke that enters the tube. The air mixes with and dilutes the smoke.

By the time the last notch is reached, say nine weeks, the smoker will find himself satisfied with a highly diluted smoke and will be able to dispense with the habit of smoking. On the other hand, if the smoker does not wish to discard the habit of smoking entirely, he can at least select a setting of the cigarette holder 10 which will provide a much cooler and milder smoke with considerably less ill efiects.

A further benefit will be derived from the fact that considerable of the tars will condense within the tube 22. The invention can be disassembled for cleaning very readily by loosening screw 42.

Obviously, many modifications of the details of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that Within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A cigarette holder, comprising, a mouthpiece having a collar at its forward end, means including a castellated bushing having slots cut therein secured at one end to said collar, means including a knurled adjusting sleeve adjustably engageable by said bushing, a first tubular member for receiving the end of a cigarette slidably contained within the forward end of said sleeve, a second tubular member passed centrally through said collar, bushing, sleeve, and first tubular member, said second tubular member having a narrow slot provided therein intermediate its end, said collar, bushing, and second tubular member being maintained in a fixed relationship with each other, said adjusting sleeve being provided with a central bore, a metering sleeve positioned within said central bore between said second tubular member and said adjusting sleeve and overlying said narrow slot in said second tubula-r member, said metering sleeve having its end closest to said mouthpiece in a spiral and arranged to be rotated freely to expose varying amounts of said narrow slot to fresh air which enters through said slots in said bushing.

2. A cigarette holder, comprising, a mouthpiece having a. collar ataitsaforwa'rd. end, means including acastellated member with sl'ots therein secured at one end to said collar, means including a knurled adjusting sleeve adjustably engageable by said castellated member, a first tubular member for. receiving one end. oi a cigarette slidably contained: withinthe. forwardiend ofi said sleeve, a second tubular member extending Centrally throughsaid. collar, member sleeve, and first. tubular member, said: second tubulan member having; a narrow slot provided therein.

arranged to be rotated. freely. to expose, varying; amounts of said slot to fresh air which enters through said slots in said castell'ated member, and" means for providing a graduated opening as well as closing of said slot insaid second tubular member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 882,825 Heald" Mar. 24, 1908 1,015,723- B-lackwood Jan..2 3 1 912 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,612 Great Britain 1894 676,143 Germany May 27, 1939 799,886 Great Britain Aug. 13, 1958 

